Chapter 139: The Power Stone

In the interrogation rooms of the Nova Corps outpost, Gamora, Rocket, Star-Lord, and Groot were separated into different cells.

Richard Rider was the first to enter Groot's interrogation room. He looked at the towering tree-like being and asked, "Now, tell me everything you know about this man."

"I am Groot!" Groot plucked a newly sprouted flower from his head, chewed on it, and stared innocently at Rider.

Right... this tree seemed like nothing more than a child. It was clear he couldn't understand the questioning. Time to move on.

"You mean this guy?" Star-Lord pointed at the holographic image of Garus displayed before him, his voice laced with frustration. "I don't know him. All I know is that he stole my stuff."

"I don't know him." Gamora recognized Garus but had no intention of revealing anything. There was no benefit for her in doing so.

One by one, the rest were interrogated, but no matter how the Nova Corps questioned them—even resorting to specialized interrogation devices—they yielded no useful information.

To Gamora, this level of interrogation was mere child's play. She had been trained by Thanos himself.

"Lock them up in the Kyln," Richard Rider ordered in irritation. "Has the surveillance system tracked that human's whereabouts?"

One of his subordinates responded, "Centurion Rider, after boarding a spacecraft, he vanished from our scanners. Based on the ship's design, it appears to belong to the Grandmaster of Sakaar."

"Sakaar?" Rhomann frowned in confusion. "How did a human get his hands on the Grandmaster's ship?"

Aboard the Grandmaster's ship, Garus flew unchallenged away from Xandar, the ship's advanced cloaking technology rendering him invisible to Nova Corps' sensors.

Meanwhile, Star-Lord and his companions were transported to the Kyln, the most secure prison in the galaxy—one from which no one had ever escaped.

Two guards escorted them deeper inside.

Looking at Gamora ahead of him, Star-Lord tapped her shoulder. "Hey, beautiful, mind telling me why you stole my stuff?"

Gamora cast him a brief glance. "Do you even know what you were carrying? That thing is extremely dangerous. Ronan is already hunting for it, and now that he knows you had it, you're in serious trouble."

"What? It's just a metal orb. Why would the great and terrifying Accuser come after me for that?" Star-Lord scoffed. "Besides, it's not even in my possession anymore. This was all a waste of time."

Gamora wasn't interested in explaining further. Few knew the true nature of the Orb.

"There's something else you should know," she added.

"What now?" Star-Lord asked, puzzled.

"Ronan probably still thinks you have it. He won't stop coming after you."

"Oh, fantastic," Star-Lord said sarcastically. "Like things could get any worse."

"Trust me, if Ronan finds out you're here, he'll attack this prison just to get to you."

"You two, hurry up!" Rocket grumbled behind them. The raccoon nearly bumped into Star-Lord as they slowed their pace. "Keep dawdling, and I swear I'll blast you both!"

"Do you even have a gun right now?" Star-Lord shot back. "Besides, if it weren't for you, I'd have escaped already. I only came for a simple deal and ended up knee-deep in this mess."

As they entered the main prison block, a foul stench filled the air. The moment the other inmates spotted Gamora, the entire prison erupted into chaos.

"Look! One of Thanos' pets! Tonight's gonna be fun!"

"I'm gonna slit her throat!"

Most of the criminals here had vendettas against Thanos or Ronan. Their hatred for Gamora, his adopted daughter, ran deep.

"Wow, you have a lot of fans," Star-Lord remarked.

Gamora ignored him. She needed to find a way out. The prison inmates were dangerous, but so was Ronan. Staying here meant death.

"Peter Quill," Rocket said. "Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, I'm breaking us out."

Star-Lord blinked in surprise. "Thanks."

"What are you looking at me for?" Rocket scoffed. "I've broken out of thirty prisons. No cell can hold me. And don't get any ideas—I'm only taking you so I can cash in your bounty."

Aboard his ship, Garus examined the Orb in his hands. On the surface, it looked utterly unremarkable.

"Master, what exactly is this thing?" Blonsky asked, puzzled as to why Garus had gone through so much trouble to obtain it.

"You'll see once I open it."

The Orb, which housed the Power Stone, was seamlessly sealed. Garus attempted to twist it open, but a strange magnetic force kept it locked tightly together.

Summoning the power of Frost, he forced the Orb open, though the outer shell became slightly warped in the process.

A brilliant purple light burst forth, bathing the entire ship in its eerie glow.

"This is the Power Stone."

"I know... it's one of the Infinity Stones," Kallruth said, his voice tinged with astonishment. "But, Mr. Garus, only those with immense strength can wield it. Otherwise, it brings only destruction."

"I'm aware," Garus replied. If Ronan could handle it, then so could he.

"I can feel its power!" Blonsky said greedily, his eyes locked onto the gem.

"Wait—!" Before Garus could stop him, Blonsky reached out and grasped the Power Stone with his bare hand.

A surge of violent purple energy coursed through him, racing along his veins and spreading to his head, making his eyes glow with unnatural light.

"RAAH!" Blonsky roared in agony as his body transformed into Abomination.

The crimson energy of the Blood God within him was overwhelmed, turning entirely purple under the Power Stone's influence.

Excited by his newfound strength, Abomination grinned. "Incredible! If that black dwarf comes back, I could crush him with one punch!"

"Put it back," Garus ordered, holding out the Orb's casing. The ship trembled under the Power Stone's energy, systems sparking dangerously. If this continued, the entire vessel could be torn apart.

Reluctantly, Abomination relinquished the stone, sealing it back within the Orb.

The overwhelming energy vanished in an instant, and Kallruth exhaled in relief. Had he been caught in the blast, he would've been annihilated.

He wasn't like these terrifying Earthlings.

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